UNITED WAY ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS TO RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERS

The Area Wide United Way appreciates all volunteers, and to recognize them, the United Way is now accepting nominations for its April 21 Volunteer Recognition Awards program. The program is being underwritten by Ameritech in Cape Girardeau.

"We have to appreciate the value of the volunteer," said Nancy Jernigan, executive director of the Area Wide United Way. "We want to do this in front of the whole community."

Nominations are being accepted for four categories: Youths 25 years of age and under, adults 26 to 59, seniors 60 and over and groups or organization. Nominations are due April 2. Anybody can be nominated any number of times. Those wanting to nominate a person or organization and who does not have a nomination form can get one by calling the United Way office at 334-9634.

Nominations will be looked over by a panel of judges who will decide the winner of each category. All those nominated will be recognized at the luncheon prior to the awards ceremony.

Jernigan said United Way offers this recognition to help promote as well as recognize volunteer work. By recognizing volunteer work, she hopes more people will volunteer.

"We're focusing more on promoting volunteerism as people get busier and busier," Jernigan said. "It's getting harder for people to find the time for volunteering."

Jernigan said they especially want to recognize youth volunteers. Last year, Dusty McDowell, who was a student at Cape Central Junior High, won the youth award for his work at the Red Cross. Jernigan said they like to hold up and make an example of youth like McDowell to show younger people they can make a difference in the community.

"If you get them early in life, and if they really enjoy it, they're hooked for life," Jernigan said. "We recognize those are the folks who will be running the country, so we want to lay the groundwork for them."

Donna Turpin,Ameritech's field manager for Missouri events sponsorship, said awards programs like this help promote volunteerism. That is why Ameritech has given money for this program for the past several years.

"I think recognition is very important," Turpin said. "People put in a tremendous amount of time and energy into their volunteering, and they deserve to be recognized. People can never get enough recognition for things they do."

Jernigan said many people who volunteer are modest and don't want to be recognized, but she hopes this modesty doesn't keep people from being nominated.

Turpin has looked through the nominations forms of those who have been nominated in the past, and she is amazed at how much people do. "People put thousands of hours of service, not only with just one organization but with several," she said.